Music Day 3: Alela Diane

Alela Diane is starting to generate some buzz for her crystal-clear voice and country-tinged songs. Technical problems got the show off to a slow start, but she and her group recovered quickly to deliver a set clearly influenced by West Coast country and soft rock. Their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman” sealed those influences if there were ever any doubt in listener’s minds. Visually, the band gives off a little bit of West Coast hippy vibe, anyway, with several band members looking like they might have stepped out of an early ’70s incarnation of Neil Young’s band. The harmonies were excellent, well-suited to the dreamy country lope that the band seemed to favor. I’d heard Diane compared to Caitlyn Cary, which doesn’t really fit. Nevertheless, she’s worth keeping an eye on.